FAPC celebrates former and current students during barbecue
By Stacy Patton
FAPC Communications Graduate Assistant
10-31-2008
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center on the campus of Oklahoma State University held a student appreciation barbecue on Oct. 17 during OSU homecoming week.
“We wanted to honor our past and present students and recognize them for their efforts,” said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC manager of client relations. “They have played, and continue to play, a significant part in the successful execution of FAPC’s mission – adding value to Oklahoma.”
There was a lot of interaction and catching up by many of the past employees and some of their former supervisors, Willoughby said. About 75 people, both past and current student employees, attended the event.
Todd Dickinson, former FAPC student worker, attended the event, along with his wife Savannah, who also worked for the FAPC as a student. He currently works in research and development for Simmons Foods in Siloam Springs, Ark.
“One of the reasons I attended the barbecue was to see old friends and past co-workers from my days at OSU,” Dickinson said. “But, the main reason was that I felt that it was important for me to show my support to a place that I owe so much.”
Dickinson said his experience at FAPC has helped him in his current position and every other position that he has had since he graduated from OSU.
“I will be the first to say that my old boss at FAPC, Jake Nelson, not only taught me about working through situations in the meats lab but influenced my life and my career in a major way,” Dickinson said. “He is a person that I really look up to and thank for all the help and knowledge that he passed on to me.”
Attendees of the barbecue enjoyed smoked, boneless whole hog, hotdogs, coleslaw, beans and ice cream. Bar-S Food Co. of Elk City, Okla.; Blue River Dairy & Creamery of Milburn, Okla.; Food Pyramid of Stillwater, Okla.; Ralph’s Packing Company of Perkins, Okla.; and Vaughan Foods of Moore, Okla., helped sponsor the items.
“It is important for our past student employees to know how appreciated they are and that we want to continue a relationship with them as they continue down their career paths,” Willoughby said. “Likewise, we want our current student employees to understand that their experiences and contributions today are appreciated and will have lasting impacts on tomorrow.”
The mission of the FAPC is to discover, develop and deliver technical and business information that will stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma.
The FAPC has assisted more than 1,000 Oklahoma businesses through 3,000 technical and business projects. An economic impact study found the combined direct, indirect and induced economic contributions of FAPC client companies were $6.3 billion and generated 52,000 jobs.
For more information about the FAPC, call 405-744-6071 or visitwww.fapc.biz.
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Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system that cuts across disciplines to better prepare students for a new world. Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 32,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 19,000 on its Stillwater campus; with students from all 50 states and about 110 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 200,000 students who have made a lasting impact on Oklahoma and the world. CREATE - INNOVATE - EDUCATE - GO STATE!
